BYU vs. UNLV last night

[MikeWaters]

Really a great game for BYU.

UNLV started strong, and BYU was struggling. UNLV was getting offensive rebounds, and BYU was struggling to get good shots off. Jimmer was forcing bad shots. It did not look pretty at all.

And then one of those really tough bad shots from Jimmer fell. Then another. And suddenly BYU has a lead going into halftime.

Then in the 2nd half it was lights-out for Jimmer and Emery. Emery is underrated, big time. He is a great defender--soon to pass Ainge as the all-time steals leader, if this hasn't happened already. The guy is a knock-down shooter at the 3 point line. It was great to see him being aggressive. Just incredible. And Jimmer was something else as well. He took one shot, a good 10 feet behind the 3 point line. When that fell, you knew that UNLV had just punched in the sack.

It was fun to see this huge UNLV crowd just completely stunned. Maybe even in awe, I don't know.

Davies had a very good game. He is continuing to develop and will likely be the star player in upcoming years.

Hartsock was ineffective on offense, not able to do anything around the rim against the UNLV defenders. But he did a nice job cleaning up defensive rebounds. Abuou did well coming off the bench, playing defense and rebounding. K. Collinsworth was completely ineffective. This kid's game is going to the basket and shooting around the rim. He could do neither against UNLV, turnover or bad shot/brick everytime he tried to do something. You can see how he was able to dominate at the HS level against inferior athletes. He can be effective against marginal college talent at this point in time, but having him go against some good athletic defenders and he is very marginal. That's what happens when you are completely one-dimensional. This kid has absolutely no range, it's very disappointing. He did take a 3, his form looked very uncomfortable, no touch, it bricked off the iron and went directly to Jimmer who nailed a 3. That's the kind of night it was for BYU.

I would be comfortable with Davies taking 3's then K. Collinsworth. And frankly, it's not even close. Is there something about the Collinsworth family that they can't shoot the rock?

Rogers had very limited playing time. He had two open looks from the 3, and didn't knock down either. Kind of disappointing. Because that's what he's good at. He needs to be able to come off the bench and knock down those wide-open shots.

BYU started getting sloppy at the end, on both sides of the floor, and UNLV made it a little scary. I was particularly pissed off when UNLV was trapping and BYU tried to bring it up the floor with Abuou and Collinsworth while Jimmer just watched. Leading to a turnover of course. This is where BYU really misses that kid who quit the team. Another guy with handles, maybe even better handles than Jimmer. In fact, Jimmer struggled with his handles as well. Jimmer does not have elite handles, and can turn the ball over against a very good on-the-ball defender.

Good win. Good momentum.

[Archaea]

The game was fun to attend, and fun to sit there as the Rebel fans gave way to shock and awe. They gave grudging respect by leaving en masse at the eight minute point.

I would disagree with one point, the drive to the basket got Jimmer confidence. He frequently does that. If the jump shots aren't falling, then he makes it happen driving to the basket. That's why he breaks mid-game slumps. He's a canny, clever shooter who has confidence but graciousness. Many players can learn from his example.

[MikeWaters]

See, I think he is a good enough player that he doesn't need a layup to gain confidence. He's just a scorer/shooter, and he will continue to try and try. I think draining those first 2 3's is what gave him confidence.

[MikeWaters]

One neglected point: that S. American guy on UNLV had some of the most awful tattoos I have ever seen. Like someone beat him unconscious and wrote on him with jumbo magic markers.